Drone strike deaths raise questions

NBC News has reviewed two sets of classified documents that describe 114 drone strikes over 14 months in Pakistan and Afghanistan, starting in September 2010. The documents list locations, death and injury tolls, alleged terrorist affiliations, and whether the killed and injured were deemed combatants or non-combatants. NBC's Richard Engel reports

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>>>of drones by the u.s. overseas. the president gave a speech on the topic. part of the appeal of using drones in place of live personnel is their accuracy but they may not be as precise as many u.s. officials claim. our report on this tonight from our chief foreign correspondent
richard engel
.

>> reporter: look at the tall man in white flanked by body guards. experts say it's
osama bin laden
in
afghanistan
one year before 9/11 in footage captured by the very first
predator drone
mission. but the drone isn't armed. a year later, drones are fitted with rockets and pakistan quickly turns into a
hunting ground
. an estimated 49 drone strikes under
president bush
. more than 300 under
president obama
.

>>conventional
air power
or missiles are far less precise than drones and are likely to cause more
civilian casualties
.

>> reporter: does the u.s. always know who drone strikes are actually killing?
nbc
news has examined classified documents detailing 114 drone strikes in pakistan in
2010
and '11. locations, death tolls, alleged terrorist affiliations. they also reveal what u.s. officials don't know like how many killed. between seven and ten in one strike, 20 to 22 in another. u.s. officials do seem certain they almost never kill civilians. in those 114 strikes, only one acknowledged
civilian casualty
.

>>they want to maintain the myth that civilians are not harmed with drone strikes which is implausible.

>> reporter: what's more, a quarter of those killed are described generically as, quote, other militants. it suggests u.s. oh officih -- officials don't always know how many or who they are killing. targets based on a signature profile. where they live, who they meet, who they talk to. several senior officials informed
nbc
news they had concerns about signature strikes. one told us the u.s. sometimes executes people based on circumstantial evidence. many counter terrorism officials insist drones are more precise than conventional attacks and they work. with a proven track record against
al qaeda
.

>>it's been a tremendous step forward in
military technology
. it's combined the capabilities of oh surveillance strike and long endurance in one platform.

>> reporter: drones are part of war now. but determining from afar who is a terrorist remains less precise than the weapons used to kill them. responding to our story a senior
white house
official told
nbc
news a major justification for many of the drone strikes is protecting
u.s. troops
in and around
afghanistan
.
president obama
has said as u.s. troop numbers in
afghanistan
goes down, so will the strikes.